Bluetooth/WIFI interference

[burkina76]

Hi all,

if I connect my Huawei MediaPad M3 to the Bluetooth headphones TX Concerto, the speed of the WIFI drops dramatically, preventing me to watch a movie in streaming without continuous buffering. This behavior is often associated to interference in the 2.4 Ghz between Bluetooth and WIFI, but unfortunately my router doesn't support 5 Ghz (and I'm not sure my tablet does it), so I couldn't test this solution.
However, I was confused when I connected the tablet to the Bluetooth Bose SoundLink, since in this case there are no issues! Distance does not matter: either close or far away, I always get issue with the headphones, none with the speaker. I haven't done specific speed tests yet, but the differences are clear (buffering vs no buffering with the same other conditions).

On the other hand, my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet has nos issues in either cases, so it's definitely something related to the MediaPad (and likely other devices), but I don't understand why only with the headphones and not with the speaker.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Stefano

 

[mikedt]

Hi all,

if I connect my Huawei MediaPad M3 to the Bluetooth headphones TX Concerto, the speed of the WIFI drops dramatically, preventing me to watch a movie in streaming without continuous buffering. This behavior is often associated to interference in the 2.4 Ghz between Bluetooth and WIFI, but unfortunately my router doesn't support 5 Ghz (and I'm not sure my tablet does it), so I couldn't test this solution.
However, I was confused when I connected the tablet to the Bluetooth Bose SoundLink, since in this case there are no issues! Distance does not matter: either close or far away, I always get issue with the headphones, none with the speaker. I haven't done specific speed tests yet, but the differences are clear (buffering vs no buffering with the same other conditions).

On the other hand, my Samsung Galaxy 10.1 tablet has nos issues in either cases, so it's definitely something related to the MediaPad (and likely other devices), but I don't understand why only with the headphones and not with the speaker.

Do you have any suggestions?

Thanks,
Stefano

Try changing the channel on your router? However I'm pretty sure the MediaPad M3 does support 5GHz 802.11AC WiFi. But to use, you would need to get hold of a 5GHz capable router.

I've only ever had Bluetooth and WiFi interfering with each other once. That was a Bluetooth mouse, and the mouse pointer would go jerky when the WiFi was busy, like when downloading or streaming something.

 

[burkina76]

Unfortunately my router does not support 5 Ghz. I've already asked my internet provider if I can have a new one, I'm waiting for a reply.
However, it puzzles me why I have no issues with the Samsung Galaxy 10.1 and the Bose SoundLink, since the WiFi is always the same at channel 2.4Ghz...

Thanks,
Stefano

 

[svim]

The bandwidth numbers between what a 2.4GHz band and a 5GHz band network can provide are completely irrelevant if your basic online connection isn't fast enough. Also note that while 5GHz can provide more speed, its effective range is typically less than 2.4Ghz.
But anyway, just use the browser and do a speed test and see if the service from your ISP is the problem. Try
https://speedof.me
or
https://fast.com
and take note of your download and latency numbers, (download will pertain more towards that buffering issue, latency more towards how responsive general web browsing is lagging or not, upload speed isn't really a factor when you're watching streaming content.)

You might also want to use this 'WiFi Analyzer (open source)' app:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.vrem.wifianalyzer&hl=en_US
Use it to check how strong a WiFi signal you're getting as you move around your household. Since you appear to have some devices without issues the range probably isn't the issue, buffering is typically more about bandwidth but it does help if you know what your WiFi coverage is in any case.

 

[burkina76]

Download speed does not seem to be an issue in itself, but I do find consistently lower velocities with the Huawei with respect to the other devices I tested.
The difference is much larger using speedof.me (which gives really low speeds with the Huawei) with respect to fast.com or my ISP 'official' speed test, but it's significant.
On the other hand, turning Bluetooth on (and connecting the headphones) sometimes affects the results of the speed tests (sometimes even giving higher speeds!), sometimes no...
To be honest, the more tests I do, the more I get confused. It seems to me clear that the WIFI antenna of the Huawei (or other settings?) significantly deteriorates the WIFI strength in this device, but the overall speed seems not so strongly affected by Bluetooth. However, streaming with the Bluetooth headphones remains impossible...

 

[svim]

Download speed does not seem to be an issue in itself, but I do find consistently lower velocities with the Huawei with respect to the other devices I tested.
The difference is much larger using speedof.me (which gives really low speeds with the Huawei) with respect to fast.com or my ISP 'official' speed test, but it's significant.
On the other hand, turning Bluetooth on (and connecting the headphones) sometimes affects the results of the speed tests (sometimes even giving higher speeds!), sometimes no...
To be honest, the more tests I do, the more I get confused. It seems to me clear that the WIFI antenna of the Huawei (or other settings?) significantly deteriorates the WIFI strength in this device, but the overall speed seems not so strongly affected by Bluetooth. However, streaming with the Bluetooth headphones remains impossible...

Well networking in general is a complex issue no matter how simple most people want it to be, and WiFi connectivity always involves a lot more variability. Testing provides actual numbers to use to diagnose problems so it's a matter where a) basic networking fundamentals are involved and b) applying those numbers might reveal what's going on. Also, using online help forums will involve a lot of personal opinions stated as fact, so you may or may not be getting actual, relevant information to these complex issues.
You might want to think about just hiring a local IT contractor to come in to look things over -- i.e. your router must be pretty dated as 5GHz band WiFi has been a standard for many years now, or if you're using an ISP-supplied modem/router unit your particular ISP has opted to disable the feature in your modem/router for whatever reason. But it's not even a matter of even having 5GHz WiFi will solve your problems, but a really dated router is a more probable issue. Or it could just be a matter of re-configuring your current router properly. But whatever the case since it sounds like you've got a number of devices and gadgets using your home network so getting it set up correctly should help with a lot of things you're relying upon on a daily basis. Right now it does sound like your LAN is set up just to 'get by' and all these little issues of connectivity are adding up. (Also note there a several different variations to Bluetooth that 'might' be involved, and completely independent to your local network, again something that will be easier to look into in person than over an online help forum -- i.e. it could be a driver or firmware update issue).

 

[burkina76]

Hi all,

I finally managed to get a new router from my ISP, and switched to 5 Ghz. This solved my issues! I'm not sure the solution is only in the change of frequency, because I also noted a significant improvement in the speed.

Thanks for all your suggestions,

Stefano